~ Musings from Boston, Mexico City, and Beyond!

Category Archives: Spanish Language

Is the Chevy Nova the automotive poster-child for cross-cultural marketing mishaps? Legend has it that the marketing brass at General Motors were determined to market the Nova similarly both north and south of the border, and thus managed to create an early marketing mistake. As you who speak Spanish know, “No Va,” in Spanish means “doesn’t go,” or “won’t go” or something similar that’s not considered a desirable quality in a car. Of course this was in the 1970’s, back when many dealership trade-ins in Mexico were tired, old burros. And a little research reveals that this is an apocryphal tale that isn’t even true. But it’s fun nonetheless, and does provide a handy intro into today’s topic: Mexican brands which are likely humorous or funny-sounding to a Gringo ear.

While the below can’t exactly be characterized as marketing mishaps, they are all Mexican brands which range from somewhat amusing to downright hysterical to the average Gringo who finds him/herself south of the border. And of course, the less time you’ve spent in Mexico, the funnier the brands really are. Because while familiarity may breed contempt, it most certainly breeds disinterest, particularly in all things initially humorous.

One of the older such brands which is now making some headway in the US sunbelt is Bimbo, the bread company. Of course, drop the word “bimbo” into a random, Gringo conversation, and bread is not the first thing that comes to mind, though perhaps buns do.

It’s not polite to play with your Bimbo at lunch time!

And then there are Mexican brands which try to add a certain foreign, usually American, cachet by dropping English, or English-sounding words into promos, adverts, and even brand names. Feeling hungry?

May not work as well NOB

Of course if you work in high-tech, for you, FUD is an acronym meaning “fear, uncertainty, and doubt,” a technique long employed by big tech to try to slow the adoption of emerging tech’s new products. But south of the border, pronounced by a Mexican, Fud sounds an awful lot like the English word “Food,” and is a line of processed meat products, sausage, cold cuts and the like. But to the English-speaking eye, it just doesn’t look quite as appetizing.

And how about snack cakes? To the average Mexican (never mind Brit), Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs, Twinkies and the like probably sound pretty ridiculous. (“What do you mean, you’re going to eat Little Debbie?!?”) So the below brand is probably going to bring a smile to Gringo lips. (Just keep it away from the kids!)

We are not responsible for any post-consumption temper tantrums!

In the USA, DieHard is probably the top brand of car battery, and the name gives you the comforting sense that the battery will fight to the end on your behalf. But would you be inclined to buy a battery that sounds like it’s a goner fresh out of the box? Look for special promotions every November second.

I dare you to put one of these in your Chevy Nova

And Mexicans are pretty famous for a certain casual disregard for copyright. On trips SOB it’s quite common to see Micky Mouse and other Gringo icons — protected by phalanxes of lawyers NOB — being used with casual abandon on taco stands, restaurants, and the like. Take that!, Disney. Of course Mexican corporations can’t get away with such behavior. At least not explicitly. But evoking famous Gringo icons and riding their coat tails in a simultaneously subtle yet obvious kind of way is fair game.

Spanish for “Duff”

Of course, when you dig a bit deeper, you find that the orange hand belongs not to Homer Simpson, but to his Mexican brother-in-law. Or someone somehow, sort of related. Cerveza Homero is a franchise for depositos, or beer stores, or a kind of bar and grill. Truth be told, I’ve never seen one in the flesh, as it were.

But keep the Cerveza Homero away from your car. Automotive lubrication and performance fluids are no laughing matter, especially when you’re out on some lonely Mexican highway, miles from the nearest Ángel Verde (Mexico’s “Green Angels” roadside repair service). But I’ve never considered Ohio cities synonymous with quality lubrication, nor automotive speed and style.

From the Lubricant Capital of the World

For the longest time, there was an ENORMOUS billboard at the corner of Insurgentes Sur and Reforma emblazoned with “Akron!” And of course, advertising pays, right? I’ll certainly never forget it, since it made me smile each time I saw it.

They make car waxes and polishes too.

Full “Akron” for your car: inside and out.

And our last image isn’t a brand, but rather a cartoon by the well-known Mexican cartoonist and satirist, Trino, that I came across while searching for brand images. The caption reads, “¡Long live the Family! …But far away.” This gave me a good chuckle, and I couldn’t resist adding it, even though it’s a smidgen off-topic.

Keep them safe on a desert island

And that’s a humorous look at some popular, Mexican brands. Do you have any you find particularly amusing?

Somehow I got to thinking about Spanish words that don’t translate easily, or lack corresponding concepts in English. The more I thought about it, the more words that came to mind. With the help of a few Google searches to build on the words I already knew, I’ve put together this list, more for entertainment than actual learning, though hopefully you’ll pick up a useful word or two. Some of the words were new to me (botellón, friolero, among others), and others were old favorites. Desvelado, is one of my favorite Spanish words because it captures a certain physical state very well, and it’s sort of surprising we don’t have something similar in English, where the word “tired” spans a huge territory, and is a bit tired itself.

So without further ado, I present for your enjoyment and edification Spanish words with no specific English translation:

Atolondrar/Aturdir (v)- To become so overwhelmed by something that you get scatter-brained and do something careless. For example, if you are being bombarded by emails, phone calls, text messages, etc., all at the same time, while trying to write an email, that you become so overwhelmed that you send it without an attachment.

Botellón (n)– Open-air drinking session, typically among youths. People bring their own alcohol which is bought from stores, making it a cheap alternative to going to bars or night clubs. More of a Spanish usage than Latin American, though Plaza Garibaldi is the site of many a botellón.

Concuñado (n) — Your brother’s brother-in-law. Though it can be used in the feminine too. Cuñado/a of course being the word for brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

Consuegro (n) – The relationship between people whose children are married to each other. i.e. My father and my father-in-law are consuegros. It’s interesting that in general, English is pretty lacking in familial relationship words. These concepts are generally of much more importance to many other cultures, perhaps more so in cultures driven more by relationships and familial connections than the rules/law-based systems we use in English-speaking countries.

Desvelado (a) — tired, but specifically from having been kept awake or kept from sleeping well the prior night. Estoy desvelado porque el pinche perro del vecino ladraba toda la noche. You could also be desvelado because you spent the prior night partying. If so, you could be simultaneously desvelado AND crudo. Don’t expect any pity from me.

Empalagarse (v) – to be overcome with sweetness. It the feeling you get when you need some milk to go with that chocolate cake.

Enmadrarse (v) – For a child to become attached excessively to his/her mother.

Enchilar (v) – to be overcome with the heat of chili peppers. This is definitely one you’ll hear often in Mexico, and likely experience yourself. Pablo no pudo hablar porque estuvo enchilado.

Estrenar (v) – To wear or use something for the first time. This is essentially like the verb form of the French début. In Mexico, people will often save new clothes to estrenar at a party or gathering.

Friolero (n) — A person who is especially sensitive to cold weather and temperatures. This one was new for me, but I like it. And I’ll think of it when I walk the streets of Mexico City in January when everyone’s bundled up in down coats, scarves, and mittens for the fifty five-degree mornings. Not to be confused with Molotov’s Frijolero.

Gentilicio (n) — A word to describe the inhabitants of a country or city. A common gentilicio for people from the United States is “American,” or in Spanish, “Estadounidense.” For some odd reason, one of my favorite gentlicios is “Guatemalteco.” Don’t ask why. I just think it sounds interesting. Tzurumutarense is also a good one, if a bit of a mouthful.

Golpista (n) — Leader of a military coup. It’s not too surprising that there’s no English equivalent to this word, though there is probably an easy translation into Arabic.

Huevón (n) — Literally translated as “big egg”, but it is better translated as “lazy with a whiff of entitlement”. Here “egg” = balls, but “big balls” is not a compliment, because the implication is that your balls are too big for you to move quickly or effectively. Often used to describe government officials, but can equally apply to lazy gate agents, unattentive store clerks, etc. I’ve never heard this word (or its more feminized equivalent “huevona”) applied to women. It seems to be a male-specific insult, and it’s definitely used often in Mexico.

Pardo (a) – A brownish gray, like the color of an owl. Once you learn this word, you wonder why we don’t have it in English as it’s a very common color. Mi gata es parda y blanca.

Pavonear (v)– to strut about like a peacock, to be showy and ostentatious. I remember this word being used to describe Malfoy in the Spanish Translation of the Harry Potter books.

Pena Ajena (n) – Shame experienced on behalf of someone else, even though that person may not feel shame. The opposite of schadenfreude. So if you knew someone who was mentally ill, and prone to going out in public naked when off his/her meds, you’d likely feel pena ajena for that person.

Puente (n) – A long weekend where you’ve added a day between the weekend and the holiday. So if the holiday is on a Tuesday, and you take Monday off, you’ve made a puente to get a four-day weekend. Mexicans do this all the time. Hacer puente is the proper usage.

Sobremesa (n) – The time spent after lunch or dinner talking to the people you shared the meal with. What a nice, gracious, civilized word, no? It’s a pity we don’t have an equivalent in English.

Soler (v) — to be in the habit of doing something or accustomed to doing it. Suelo tomar mi café con crema. Unfortunately, that’s hard to do in Mexico as crema for coffee is hard to find.

Tocayo (n) – a person who has the same name as you. So if your name is Steve and your brother-in-law’s name is Steve, he’s your cuñado as well as your tocayo. In Mexico, people seem to be pleased to meet a tocayo, and it’s considered a minor, but special thing. If your name is Carlos, you have lots of tocayos in Mexico.

Tutear (v) – to address someone in the “tu” form vs. the usted form. It’s pretty obvious why we don’t have this in English, with “thee” and “thou” being dead well before even Chaucer’s time.

Tuerto (a) – one-eyed, or blind in one eye. This one surprised me and made me wonder about the circumstances where it came about. It’s an interesting word, though not one with much currency in the modern world, where glass eyes are generally fitted to those in need. But if you read a lot of pirate stories in Spanish, this word could prove invaluable.

Bonus Word (easily translatable, but interesting nonetheless):

Amigovia/o (n) — A friend with benefits; a combination of amiga/o and novia/o. Also “un amiga/o con derechos a roce” (a friend with the rights to rub against–where “roce” is from the verb “rozar” to rub against, to touch lightly). This one has a pretty specific translation, but it’s interesting nonetheless. I’ve never heard this one spoken, but then haven’t had the fortune to have many conversations about “friends with benefits” either. But I’ll let you know when I do.

And this is the list. Do you have any to add? Thanks for your comments.

You’ve done the hard work. You’ve studied your conjugations. You’ve built vocabulary. You’ve practiced until you were positively blue in the face. You’ve achieved a measure of conversational fluency in Spanish. You can even talk on the phone in Spanish.

Congratulations!

I know how tough this is because I’ve been there. I’ve struggled to think of how to say what I want to say, and I’ve been out with Spanish speakers and hopelessly been unable communicate seemingly simple ideas like, “We should have parked the car somewhere else.” (When once upon a time we couldn’t find said car…LOL.)

But I’m past all that (after a LOT of hard work), and now can converse in Spanish pretty well. Some even would claim that I’m fluent.

That is until…the Spanish speaker decides to drop some English word (or entire sentence) into his speech. At this point, I”m always left with the classic “Cara de ¿qué?” As in, “What in the heck did you just say?”

Because the hardest thing in the world to understand in Spanish is English.

Let me explain. Mexicans are exposed to tons of English. All of them have had to study it to some degree or other in school, though you might never know it. They also see tons of Hollywood movies with subtitles, not to mention hearing lots of American and British popular music. And lots of them, particularly those who fancy themselves more international,* will casually drop English words into their Spanish with no warning. The problem is when Mexicans do this, the word in question does not sound English in the least. In fact, these words sound just like Spanish, sort of, but no Spanish word you’ve ever learned. They just come out with the Mexican speaker’s natural accent, which sounds NOTHING like English.

F was very fond of dropping these English phrases or sentences into conversations when I least expected them. And I invariably didn’t understand. Like, as in “never.” Not once. I was always left with this confused expression of, “what the heck did you just say?” And he was always frustrated that I never “got” it. Though he was always polite, I could always imagine him thinking, “Jeeze…this is your native language and you don’t understand it?!?” And he wasn’t terribly sympathetic when I tried to teach him the correct pronunciation of the words in question once he had explained what he was saying. I simply should have “just gotten it.”

So my advice to you is this. If you don’t understand something that someone has said in Spanish, make sure it wasn’t English.

* Be careful using the term “internacional” to describe a Mexican. Why? It’s a term used in the gay community to describe someone sexually flexible, i.e., who can be a top or bottom. Consider yourself warned.